Kamuli Appeals To Govt

By Nathan Etengu KAMULI district council has appealed to the government to release the US$12m Spanish government loan for the health sector development. The LC5 vice-chairman, Mr. Elijah Kagoda, on Tuesday said the fund was promised to the district in 1997 but has never been released. "If the fund was released, the district would have been able to expand its hospital and also establish sub-district hospitals in all the counties," he said. Kagoda said Kamuli, which attained district status in 1974, has never had a fully-fledged government hospital. "We have been relying on a mission hospital," he said. The LC5 secretary for finance, Mr. Muzaham Chuka, said over sh300m was spent on up-grading Kamuli health centre to a district hospital. He said the maternity wing was constructed and that the release of the Spanish loan would enable the district council to expand other services including the children's wing. Chuka said Kamuli and Kisoro districts were to benefit from the Spanish loan. He, however, said although the contract was awarded to M/s Dragados construction firm, the work had not started. "We are urging the government to speed up the release of the funds," Chuka said. Ends